Lady Vols vs. USF Postgame Quotes

Tennessee Head Coach Kellie Harper

Opening statement…

"I'm really proud of our team. This was a tough win to get. It's a really good win. We had to have a lot of grit, a lot of toughness, and a lot of focus to figure out a way to pull this one out. I am so proud of our team. I'm proud of that group and their attitude and how they came together, what they were saying, and how they locked in in that fourth quarter when they had to get stops."

On coming back to win the game…

"I think it's two things. I think it's Jordan (Horston) in the fourth quarter, being aggressive and determined offensively, and then us holding them to five points. Until they get that kick-out three on the offensive board, they had two points in the fourth quarter. That, to me, was the difference in the game. You just had one big, strong defensive quarter for what we needed."

On defense…

"Well, we know where we're at right now when we step out on the court. Right now, we've got to hang our hat on our defense; we know that. We know it's not pretty on the other end. The team really bought into that, and when they were a little bit tired, a little gassed, a little bit down, they found a way to turn it up a notch. That grit was crucial to this win, and I think everybody was trying to do their part. We had some breakdowns throughout the game, but in the fourth quarter we were locked in. We didn't give up anything easy in that fourth quarter. You had our guards playing really hard on the perimeter and then allow Tamari (Key) to provide help in the paint. Obviously, she is a presence. Tamari (Key) playing 36 minutes, obviously, was a huge key for this game."

On Jordan Horston…

"I think we need Jordan (Horston) to play like Jordan Horston can play. I think that's going to be us finding ways for us to get her aggressive on the ball, with the ball, maybe work on some off the ball as well. She's doing a terrific job on the boards right now. Really, really proud of that because I think that's been the difference maker in our last two games as well. (I'm) proud of Jordan (Horston) and how she's been able to take on the challenge of stepping up her game and putting points on the board for us."

On if defense is sustainable for wins…

"You know, we've still got to work on it. I think there are some areas that our defense needs to improve. We can get a little bit smarter, but I think our team is pretty locked in in terms of knowing that's how we need to play and what we need to rely on. I think we can tweak some things and maybe to allow that to sustain us. We're going to have to score at some point, and we know that. We're going to have to put some points on the board at some point. Until that happens, hopefully our defense can hang tough."

Tennessee Junior Center Tamari Key

On playing the most minutes tonight of the season and staying out of foul trouble...
"I am feeling really good after this performance, mostly just because I stayed out of foul trouble tonight, so I could stay on the floor. That came from my teammates keeping my spirits up, considering the first two games I did not play as much as I would have liked to and being confident in myself inside, as well."

On struggles from behind the arc and scoring 40 points in the paint looking….
"Something that we take pride in is our defense. That is just one of our main things, you know. I just got told that our first three games we have not let a team score over 50 points this season so far, and that is something that is really big for us. So, we win games by playing really good defense."

On the importance of playing defense with six blocks…
"I take pride in my defense. Getting blocks is something that is fun for me to do, honestly. It is something I enjoy. Even if I do not get a block, it is something that can alter the offense's shot. It is also something I take pride in as well."

On 23 second-chance points off the offensive glass, with Kaiya Wynn and Sara Puckett getting in on having so many dangerous players getting points throughout the game…

"I think that is something that really drives us, especially Kaiya Wynn and Sara (Puckett) getting in there and getting the offensive boards in. It picks us up a little bit. It makes us want to crash with them; it pushes us. Honestly, the little things are the things that are the most important to us, so we really need those O-boards."

On close games building character and the character the team is building…

"I feel that Kellie tells us all the time, we are going to get teams with their best effort. We are Tennessee and teams are going to want to beat us, so it's us being able to go into every game knowing that. We have something to lose, the other teams do not have anything to lose. That is something we take pride in - the name across our chest."

Tennessee Graduate Forward Keyen Green

On what happened in the fourth quarter...
"I mean yeah, just like TK said, we had to take pride in it. Obviously, we got yelled at at halftime, and we locked back in, and it's really as simple as that. Defense is effort, and so when you lose that effort, you're not guarding. But we just had to regain it and focus back up and we guarded."

On what was said at halftime about defensive effort…
"Guard. Yeah it was guard. She (Kellie Harper) said you guarded until you didn't. So, then we had to pick it back up and guard."

On what she believes the team dynamic is…
"Man, I was just talking about this in the locker room. I am just so excited, like we have so much potential with this team. This team is just so happy for one another, for each other's successes. It's not any one person that has to do everything. We're happy no matter where it comes from, because we know we're a team, and at the end of the day, a win is a win for all of us. I think our identity going forward is just we're tough, we're gritty, and we're going to come together when it counts. I mean, I can't even wait for you guys to see what we're about to do this season."

On getting adjusted to Rae Burrell not being on the court…
"I mean, honestly, I think we're still adjusting. You know when that much point production comes from one person, other people have to pick it up. I think we're learning how to do that. You know, we're seeing who can do that, but I think everybody has the ability to step up on this team. I think even our freshmen, like Kellie said, I don't think they know that they're freshmen, because everybody has the ability to step up on this team. So, as much as it hurts not being able to see her (Rae Burrell) out there and play with her, I think we'll be able to pick it up."

Tennessee Junior Guard Jordan Horston

On the USF coach saying she put the team on her back...
"Honestly, I want to put it on my teammates, because they were the ones keeping me motivated, keeping me confident. Without them, we wouldn't have won. It's not a one-man job, like I said. Some shots fell for me, but at the end of the day, we all locked in on defense, and that's how we got that win."

On what it's like having Tamari Key as a teammate…
"Tamari, she's an eraser for sure. Her presence on the court, it makes a huge difference to have her on the court. When she goes under, it's hard to shoot over 6-6, so we love having her down there, having her presence, and like I said, whenever we get beat, she's our eraser."

South Florida Head Coach Jose Fernandez

Opening Statement…
"You have to give it to Tennessee, they just kept fighting. I talked to our team at halftime, and 10 of Tennessee's 20 points were all on second-chance opportunities, and they had 18 points in the paint. For us, we've got a veteran group in there, they've played in high-level games. When we were up six, we missed a layup. Even our first shot in the fourth quarter was an airball three. When you're on the road, you must make those shots. That's the disappointing thing for us, because we're up six going into the fourth quarter, and we're a pretty good offensive team and make people defend us for the entire shot clock. We went to a 2-3 zone and made them have five empty possessions, but so did we on the offensive end. I thought [Jordan] Horston just put her team on her back and made some big shots. It was an ugly basketball game for both teams offensively as both teams shot 28 percent and 30 percent from the floor."

On what made Jordan Horston difficult to defend…
"She's long and tough to defend because she is so big as a guard and can pull up and shoot over our guys. On the other end depending on where she is playing, if she is on the ball, she can disrupt the point guard because of her length. We tried to take her right hand away and make her go left, and she picked up a couple of offensive charges, but her three-point play at the end of the game hurt. Her size and athleticism are what make her difficult to defend."

On what Tamari Key brings that makes her difficult to guard in the paint…
"We're guarding her with girls that are 6-1 and 6-2. We were on the wrong side at times, because we wanted to double her and force her to the middle, but if she catches over our guys or on the high side, she's just going to turn and shoot over them. That was the most difficult thing tonight."

On what Tennessee did in the fourth quarter that allowed them to win the game…
"They're guards bothered us and were physical, aggressive, and pushed our offense out. I thought [Elisa] Pinzan had a good game for us. She scored most of her points in the second half; we tried to get her involved in middle pick-and-roll coverage with our five, because Key wasn't defending out there, she was just staying In the paint. Then they changed who was going to guard the middle pick-and-roll situations, so we couldn't free up Pinzan down the stretch."